Mark Wheat

Mark Wheat grew up near Cambridge, England, where he regularly listened to the late great BBC DJ John Peel. Like Peel, Wheat came to the USA to start his radio career. Emigrating in 1983, Wheat lived in St. Louis, in Kure Beach, N.C., and in Hoboken, N.J. It was while living in Hoboken that Wheat learned how to push the buttons at the legendary free-form station WFMU.

After moving to the Twin Cities in 1992, Wheat volunteered at community radio station KFAI and created Local Sound Department, playing only Minnesota music. Wheat spent 18 months at commercial station Zone 105, hosting Across The Pond, a weekly show playing music from all over the world. In 1998, he became Director of Student Programming at the University of Minnesota's Radio K, and created a weekly magazine show, The Music Lovers Club.

Since The Current launched in 2005, Wheat has hosted weekdays 6 to 10 p.m., including The Chart Show on Wednesdays at 8 p.m.

Wheat lives in downtown Minneapolis with his wife, Maren Kloppmann, who operates her own ceramics studio and gallery in the North East Arts District. Wheat became a U.S. citizen in September 2012.

Ahead of playing two sold-out shows at First Avenue in Minneapolis, Cincinnati band Walk the Moon stopped by The Current to play a couple songs and to talk to Mark Wheat. As the name suggests, Walk the Moon are heavily influenced by the Police. But it was an album by the Killers that convinced front man Nicholas Petricca that playing music was what he wanted to do.

Father John Misty jumps to #1 ahead of sold out First Avenue show; Alvvays retired to the Chart Show Hall of Fame the week of their big Northrop gig with the Decemberists; Django Django make a debut; Modest Mouse are the highest new entry.

Mark Wheat's Global Shout-Out is now a daily feature! Listen each weekday at 8:30 p.m., as Mark Wheat sends a shout-out to people listening to The Current's stream around the world. Check out the map to see just where those listeners are.

Former Rock the Garden headliner jumps to #1 as this year's lineup is announced; five acts are inducted to the Chart Show Hall of Fame including Belle and Sebastian and Modest Mouse, who will headline this year's festival on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

En route to SXSW and touring in support of their forthcoming full-length debut My Love Is Cool, London's Wolf Alice stopped by The Current studio to chat with host Mark Wheat and to perform tracks live in The Current studio.

alt-J are at #1 for the third week in a row; Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield are the highest new entry; The Black Keys and Jack White have new entries; Alvvays jump ahead of the Decemberists, who they'll be opening for on their upcoming tour.